As the recent digitalization proceeds, remarkable developments can be found also in a production process of printed publications. For example, a prepress (hereinafter referred to an “PP”) process capable of providing films and machine plates directly from digital data with no block copy process can be performed with a DTP (Desk Top Publishing) technology, and a plate making process with a CTP (Computer to Plate) technology. In particular, the development of DTP brings about change. It shifts operations of image processing in the PP process such as design, block copy and reproduction up to higher operations of image processing while it facilitates the entire production process of printed publications to be simplified. In addition, the development of CTP can save resources such as films for plate making by using method that film outputs to be the final products from the PP process are directly output as digital plate making data. Further, the generation already started, where a shift from the PP process to a direct press process begins to realize an effect to facilitate rationalization of plate making and press process.
In such the tendency on the digitalization of the printed publication production processes, the digitalization of the PP process is particularly remarkable and, currently, the DTP system is most widely employed.
The PP system comprises a DTP system, a RIP (Raster Image Processor) and its output devices. The PP system is configured to totally edit/output characters, images and so forth. A plate making system for press is configured to produce a machine plate based on plate making data output from the PP system.
The DTP system comprises a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) or a workstation (hereinafter referred to as “WS”), which employs DTP application software inside. The RIP creates raster image data based on the data produced in the DTP application software. The PP system further comprises a storage device such as a hard disc and/or MO drive to store the raster image data from the RIP. An imposition processor turns the image data from the PP system into imposition data allocated for constructing pages of a book. The imposition data created at the imposition processor is sent to a plate making system for press, which employs it as plate making data, for example.
When an operator, for example, a graphic designer employs the PC and/or WS to produce and edit characters and images. The DTP system in the PP system thus configured creates layout data. The layout data is derived from data of the characters and images and expressed with a Page Description Language (PDL) such as PostScript® from Adobe (hereinafter referred to as “PS”). The layout data is derived as a design layout per page from integration of digital data obtained from character inputs, image scanning, and drawing and illustrating operations. The layout data is converted at the RIP into raster image data in a bitmap or run-length format (image data).
A link processor turns the raster image data created at the RIP into imposition data that includes the raster image data linked on each page in a state printable on a printing. This imposition data is output on a film through an image setter. This mode corresponds to a process, so-called “imposition process after RIP”. To the contrary, there is another process, so-called “imposition process before RIP”, which is employed to first perform an imposition process for layout data per page and then, after converting into raster image data, output it on a film through an image setter. It is disadvantageous, however, that the “imposition process before RIP” requires useless press materials and work hours when a problem occurs in proofreading because the imposition data must be modified again from the stage of DTP application software, for example.
In the link processor, similar to a method of assigning pages in a publication as disclosed in JP 10-319567A, front and back surfaces of a page are displayed on a leaf. Then, a direction and size of raster image data by page is determined so as to achieve a correct bookbinding when folding and cutting processes are performed. Thus, image data on each page is allocated one by one to produce imposition data. In addition, similar to an apparatus for displaying prints as disclosed in JP 9-185606A, produced imposition data is displayed in the form of an actual book, prior to outputting it from an image setter, to confirm if a desired layout can be obtained before printing. The image setter outputs raster image data on a press material based on the imposition data to produce a reproduction film.
The RIP in the conventional PP system is connected to the image setter at 1-to-1 (so-called “1-RIP/1-OUT” mode). To the contrary, recently, the raster image data from the RIP can b taken out as a TIFF format file that is one of general image files. Therefore, the RIP can be connected, in addition, to th image setter, to a plurality of output devices (such as color printer, reproduction film output machines and CRT output devices) so as to output the raster image data from the RIP in various formats (so-called “1-RIP/multi-OUT” mode).
In such the systems described above, however, even though the TIFF format data can be taken out of the RIP in the PP system at great pains and the plurality of output devices can employ it, the raster image data is hardly employed effectively, in practice for other uses. Because the layout data produced in the DTP system with much tine and work is basically a one-off product that is different from one an ther. Therefore, from the first, it is not considered to divert the raster image data produced in the RIP based on the layout data in other ways. In addition, the use of the raster image data is delayed in other fields and industries due to such problems as data exchange. In most cases, the raster image data is left being saved and accumulated in a storage device or medium. Otherwise, it is deleted as such in practice. Further, such the raster image data that is assumed to be employed for printed publications has too small original characters and so forth to apply as such to electronic publications because the characters and so forth cannot be identified visibly. This is a disadvantage because it interferes with the effective operation of information resources.